Silvertongue
by SilverSatori
Summary: Two years after his apparent death, Loki suddenly turns up again. And this time he is not alone. [LokixOC]


This is just an incredibly random One Shot I wrote after re-watching Thor on TV. I've always been a Loki fangirl, but never had a decent idea for writing something about him. Eventually I chose to include an OC I had designed months ago for another project. It came around rather short, but I like it anyway.

Tell me what you think of the concept :3

* * *

 **Silvertongue**

The Avengers had prepared for a usual day. The last big incident had been quite a while ago. So obviously, what they expected the least was sure to happen.

Or maybe not _sure_ to happen. What were the chances of Loki, who Thor had announced to have died in his arms, marching into the tower? What were the chances he would be wearing a green jacket and jeans? (Loki wearing jeans. Sure.) And what were the chances he would... oh, no he certainly would be bossy like always, demanding everyone's attention and also demanding to speak to his brother. _That_ was pretty likely. So, he demanded to speak to Thor.

Who almost strangled him in his relief to see his lost brother well and alive. This led to a rather amusing scene, which consisted of Thor spilling his beans about how happy he was his brother was fine, while Loki squirmed desperately in Thor's arm, in the end rather begging than demanding to be let go of. "Say please!", Tony threw in with a wide grin.

"Sorry, brother," Thor laughed and finally let go. Loki gasped, trying to breathe and get rid of the pain in his ribs. He needed almost half a minute until he could speak.

"I'm not your brother, how often do I have to tell you?", he snapped eventually, still a bit breathless.

Thor didn't listen. What a surprise. "You wanted to say something, brother?"

Loki growled and ordered his unusually casual clothes. "You ruined the moment. Besides, I'm just here because I wanted you to know I am still alive." He grumbled something else, but it was too quiet to be heard.

"You were gone for two years. Why reveal yourself all of a sudden?", Steve asked.

"Can't be good for your evil plans," Tony added. This brought him glares from his teammates, Thor in particular, and Loki rolling his eyes.

"Where were you all the time? What did you do?", Thor asked. Loki glared at him, thinking he was just like some overly attached puppy.

"I was busy," the God of Mischief said coldly.

"Mr. Stark, we have another visitor," JARVIS announced. "Shall I let her in?"

JARVIS showed what the camera at the entrance saw: A girl in her early twenties, the hair in a ponytail, in a skirt and tank top. She looked around curiously, her arms crossed.

Loki's jaw dropped at the sight of her, just for a second. Then he regained his cold demeanor, with the little addition of seeming annoyed. Just now he seemed to realize what he was wearing, and changed into a suit with a green tie and scarf using his magic.

Everybody had seen how distressed he seemed because of the girl, so Tony would not be Tony if he would let that opportunity pass. "Let her in and bring her here, JARVIS."

Loki turned to go, maybe a bit hastily. "I have things to do." Thor grabbed his arm before he could come further than one step.

"You just came here," the God of Thunder said, disappointed. Loki rolled his eyes. A puppy, alright. He angrily shook off the hand. "Let go. I just came here because -"

In this moment, the door opened and the girl stormed in. "Silver!", she squealed happily. Loki hastily sidestepped her and she tripped over the carpet, falling straight into Clint's arms.

She blinked up at him. "Uh... you're not the one I meant, but Hi anyway."

Hawkeye helped her stand up. "Sure. Hi." The girl looked around with a grin.

"So many hot men here. Jeez. Whatever, I have made my pick." And she walked over to Loki and took his hand. Or rather attempted to. He avoided her once again, appearing on the other side of the room. The trickster rubbed his temple.

"Nobody ever listens to me," he growled. "Stop running after me, before I decide to... argh!" The girl had looked at him with such a hurt expression he actually had broken off.

"That's your thanks after two years?", she pouted.

Loki didn't squirm or anything, but he looked severely uncomfortable under the confused glances of the Avengers. He shrugged angrily. "Fine. I came to Midgard two years ago and something happened. I still don't remember what it was. I lost my memory, forgot who I was. That human picked me up and helped me out until I remembered who I was. And now she keeps following me around. How do you do that, anyway?!"

The girl shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "My name's Celestia, by the way. Sally, to my friends.

And friends of Silver are my friends, obviously."

"Silver?", Thor asked, confused.

"Short for Silvertongue," Loki grumbled. "That was what she named me when I... when I had lost my memory."

"I got in a bit of trouble with the cops, and yeah, he talked me out of it. No idea how. He really is a silver tongue." She laughed and walked over to him. This time, Loki didn't flee, but gave in to his fate, and she took his hand. Then he stepped back, making her lose her balance.

"Last warning. I'm grateful for your help, but that is only enough to not make me kill you. Stop following me. It's bad enough you made me come here in hope you wouldn't expect that. I don't know how you manage to find me, but stop it." And with that, he rushed out, his scarf trailing behind him. A few steps, and he vanished in green smoke.

Confused silence. Sally sighed and crossed her arms. She was close to tears, but wiped them off before they could fall. "Two years," she murmured. "Two freaking years. I wish he had never gotten his memory back. And me, being the idiot I am, even helped him."

"Loki can be a bit-", Thor started.

"He's a douche," Tony interrupted. He caught Thor's and the girl's glare. "Hey, sorry, but it's true. Want a coffee or hot chocolate?"

Sally wiped her eyes again and was led to the sofa by Clint. "Thank you."

"What happened? How did you meet?", Thor asked.

Sally wiped her eyes with the handkerchief Tony offered her and smiled shakily. "It was nothing special. He was walking around town. Everybody thought he was a nutcase, because he kept talking about a place called Asgard and seemed to be ill. I wanted to see what everybody was talking about and went downtown after school." She paused.

" _Sir,"_ JARVIS said into Tony's earpiece, a new model he was currently testing. " _Body scans indicate she is lying._ " Tony nodded slightly, but didn't say anything.

"He basically passed out in front of my feet," Sally continued. "I dragged him to my car and brought him home."

"That was very nice," Natasha said. "You live alone?"

Pause. "Yeah." Sally blew her nose. "He woke up after a day and asked where he was. Turned out he didn't remember anything, not even his own name. I kinda liked him and... yeah, okay I was never a people person, so I didn't mind a bit of company."

"You let a stranger stay with you? Just like that?", Steve asked skeptically.

Sally shrugged her shoulders. "No idea what got into me. I liked him from the beginning. Maybe just his attitude. Anyway, I... got into trouble. Was just a misunderstanding, but I really had better things to do than sit a day at a police station. I'm not sure how, but he persuaded the cops I was clear and we walked away. I mean, he didn't know how he did that himself. He's the God of Mischief, that explains a lot in retrospect." She laughed, but without joy.

"And in the next two years...?", Thor inquired eagerly.

"We tried to figure out who he was. I called him Silver, for his silver tongue. He helped me, I helped him." She drank out the hot chocolate and stood up. "Thank you for everything. I... I need to go. Before I lose him again."

"Angering him further might not be wise," Thor said.

Sally turned away. "He won't hurt me."

The door shut in front of her. "I'm afraid we're not done here," Tony said.

"Tony, you can't just-", Steve wanted to interrupt.

"JARVIS tells me she has been lying to us. Also, in no state of the US is there a Celestia accounted for."

She clenched her fists. "Okay!", she almost shouted. "That's my street name, okay? I ran away after I met Silver."

"Did Loki persuade you to do that? We can bring you home if you want," Steve offered.

Sally snorted. "That would imply I want to go back. To my shitty Dad and my step-mum? No _thanks_. Oh and when we're already making things clear, I was skipping school that day, the car was hot-wired, and the house we slept in empty and out for sale. 'Loki', what he calls himself, Silver, he helped me out after I got busted shoplifting food. To your question: No, he didn't make me do anything. I wanted to skip town anyway." She angry stomped her foot and crossed her arms. Stunned silence. She pushed a blond strand out of her face. "We helped each other. We traveled. We had a great time. We're a team." She stared at her dirty boots. "We _were_ a team."

"Loki can be stubborn and does not think all too well of humans," Thor said. "He will appreciate what you did for him-"

"That is not the point!", Sally interrupted harshly. She wiped her face again.

"Then what is the point?", Natasha asked in a neutral voice.

Sally shook her head. "You don't understand. You only see him as the bad guy. You don't even know what he was like. He... He loved me!", she eventually snapped. Then, more quiet: "He's all I have."

She laughed, a dreary sound, and waved the soaked through handkerchief. "Guess that's what happens if you suppress everything for too long." Without a word, Steve gave her another one.

Sally gave up on pacing and sat down again to continue her story. "I spent time in libraries. Libraries!" Didn't sound like she was the biggest fan of books, Tony thought. "We were trying to figure out who he was. He had these weird dreams, nightmares, about Asgard, and it seemed like he had a pretty shitty family, just like me." Thor winced at that. Sally either didn't see it or ignored him. "So we checked on the Nordic mythology. I learned a lot more than ever in school. We figured out he had to be Loki, but he couldn't really remember." She grinned at the memory. "He promised, if he really was Loki, and he got back to normal, he would take me to Asgard. He would take me everywhere I wanted. We'd be the coolest couple ever."

"And then?", Tony asked, because nobody else was about to say anything.

"And last week, bam!, he suddenly remembers who he is, and has magic, and doesn't want to be with me anymore. I wish he had never-" She wiped her face angrily. "I'm not giving up easily."

"How do you even know where he is?", Thor asked. "He's a master of disguises."

Sally shrugged her shoulders. "Not to me. I can see him anyway. Maybe because I was there when he went all God of Bullshit again."

That caused a few snickers. Sally smiled dully and looked around.

"Hey, you know, your talent is pretty cool," Tony suddenly said. "You're currently more or less homeless, right? JARVIS, do we have a spare room for the young lady here?"

"Of course, Sir." In the earpiece, JARVIS added: " _She does not seem to be lying._ "

Sally started. "Hey, that's nice and all, but... really not necessary."

"It's in our common interest to keep track of what Loki does," Thor said. Sally hesitated, then shrugged.

"Well, thank you, I guess. I'll get my stuff."

"No hot-wiring cars, right?", Steve said, leaving open if that was a joke. Sally nodded, then stood up and went to the door. JARVIS opened it for her. Maybe she thought she was already out of hearing range, but the Avengers heard her next words very well.

"He fell in love with me once. It will happen again." The door fell shut. On the surveillance, the Avengers could see her leaving the building and turn a corner. Then she was gone.

"You just brought in trouble, Stark," Clint said eventually. "A little criminal that spent the last years with Loki? You sure we can trust her?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "JARVIS says she was honest the last few minutes. You want me to kick the girl out?"

"I didn't say that," Hawkeye said in defense. "Just saying we should be careful."

"Tell that to the preschoolers, Barton," Natasha joked. "We'll see what comes out of it. But you're right. The girl looks like trouble."

Tony shrugged and went to get himself another coffee. "When are we not in trouble?"

Celestia turned a corner and walked down the busy streets of New York. By now she was getting hungry. How creepy that JARVIS could tell if she was lying. Or thought he could tell.

Arms wrapped around her from behind and she was pulled into an alleyway. Sally didn't squeal, nor struggle. "You little liar," a voice purred into her ear. She had her eyes closed in the twilight. Only in big cities like New York nobody gave a damn about scenes like this. That was why so many people got kidnapped. Not that she could not help herself.

"I had a very good teacher." She turned around and kissed the mystery man, holding him by his tie. "Guess I'm gonna be an Avenger, then?"

"Yes. You really are a formidable actress, my dear." He wiped off the rests of tears in the corners of her eyes. "I almost thought you meant it."

"I get a lot into my roles," she replied with a shrug. "Imagining this..."

"As if I would ever do this, beautiful human. That would mean giving up what is mine." Sally giggled and opened her eyes. Turquoise shimmered in the twilight.

"You know, if I get involved with them, my parents might come out looking for me. I mean, the Avengers know I ran away, but..."

Silver raised an eyebrow. She laid her arms around his neck and shrugged. "You know. They were so boring. With you I can be who I am. One of the many advantages of being with the king of liars."

"I'd never lie to you," Silver said.

"Yeah..." She laid her head against his neck. "I better get my stuff. What will be our next masterstroke?"

"Check on what they are doing. We'll just play the roles for now."

"So... we won't see each other for a while?"

"Probably not," he said after a moment. Celestia nodded and kissed him again. They just stood there for several minutes, but that time seemed very short to them. Eventually, Sally had to let go. She quickly walked down the alleyway, telling herself it was not for eternity. They _had_ the eternity. She waved at him with a smile.

"Something else," she called. He had turned to go, but stopped and looked at her. "Don't forget you promised to take me to Asgard. I'll take your word for that!"


End file.
